Jazz Story is an opportunity to share my love of Southampton’s rich cultural history

Don John

I was born in London of Sierra Leone parentage. My first proper job was working at HM Treasury in Whitehall in 1969, the only Black person there at the time. After nine years I left and then lived in Trinidad for six months. When I returned to the UK, I started work at the Southampton Council for Race Equality and later became the Director.

I went on to join Southampton City Council, becoming the lead officer for Race and Diversity. At the same time, I started to develop my own Race & Diversity Consultancy and advised other local authorities and housing organisations alongside public speaking. I provided race training for armed services all over the country, including at Aldershot, Catterick, Tidworth, Colchester and Northern Ireland. Training was also delivered for Hampshire Police and Naval services in Portsmouth.

At the same time, I founded Black History Month in Southampton, which developed from a modest affair to a significant date in the city calendar. I was also one of the founders of the Rainbow Project. This was originally designed to house homeless young Black men and The James Wiltshire Trust, which campaigned to secure better services for Black people in mental health services in the region.

I have always been a keen enthusiast in the arts. In the 1980s in Southampton, I managed a reggae group of young West Indian teenagers and helped them secure a contract with EMI Records, and we toured across the country. I also made a number of short films with a group I formed called The Black & Asian Video Panel, several of which focused on race issues in Southampton. I have also curated exhibitions on the subjects of ‘Afro-Futurism’, ‘The History of Blues Parties in Southampton’ and ‘Black: The Graphic Novel’, which have all been featured in local galleries. I’m presently working on a new exhibition about colourism supported by Arts Council England. I have also had photo exhibitions in galleries in the region, all relating to Black communities.

I’m thrilled and honoured to be producing Southampton’s Jazz Story – a one-night-only event at Mayflower Studios on the 18^th of October. When the idea of Southampton’s Jazz Story was first mooted, it grabbed me initially on two levels. Firstly, my enthusiasm for Southampton’s history that led me to publish ‘The Black History of Southampton from 16^th century to 21^st century’. That, among other moments, referenced the presence of Louis Armstrong in the city in 1932 and Bob Marley in 1973. Then, of course, the production spoke to my lifelong love of music from my days in London, my work with Ebony Rockers and my involvement in promoting gigs in the city.

My interest in the project was further stimulated when I was filming Cole Mathieson, the proprietor of the Concorde Club. Cole was a key figure in promoting jazz in the city and I learnt a great deal from him. His personal knowledge of the early days of jazz was invaluable. My research into Black history unearthed some little-known facts, much like my research into jazz history. It was another example of Southampton’s rich past that not many people know about. It was a joy to discover how so many international stars played in Southampton and the stories that accompanied them, and this project was an opportunity to share them.

Not only were stars like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth, Ronnie Scott, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster part of Southampton’s history but also blues players like John Lee Hooker and Champion Jack Dupree. We also discovered how R&B stars whose background was jazz also played in Southampton in their early days and that included people like Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Robert Plant, Julie Driscoll, Long John Baldry and many more.

More recently we have had Southampton Youth Jazz Orchestra led by Dan Mar-Molinero, the internationally acclaimed Portico Quartet with their Cantell school connection, and Turner Sims has featured stars like Hugh Masekela, Courtney Pine, Dave Brubeck and many others. Southampton has so much to be proud of in its relationship with the history of jazz music.

Jazz history, like Black history, played a far more significant role in the culture of the city than many appreciate, and the hope and expectation is that exposure to this information will stimulate other thoughts and memories and help the city remember more fondly its own history which has been glorious, and I am proud to be a part of that.